Reply #47: I am torn between two opposing ideas... [View All]

[kentuck]

First, I thought everyone in America knew how bad the economy was when Barack Obama took office, including Barack Obama? I thought everyone knew who the culprits were?

I had expectations of change and reform of the system, as did most folks, I think?

I had an idea that the President would crack down on the big banks and mortgage holders. I expected some rough times ahead. I expected the wars to end sooner rather than later. I expected the Bush taxcuts to end. I expected Guantanamo to close and for the President to disavow every single policy of George W Bush.

But then, the President seemed to take the side of the big banks and the wealthy Wall Street people that got us in the mess in the first place? That was confusing to me.

Another idea that kept creeping into my consciousness, throughout the disappointment, was that perhaps the President saved us from a calamitous depression and much worse unemployment with his stimulus bill and his efforts to revitalize the banks and Wall Street? We could have been much worse off? Perhaps this was a brilliant move to keep millions of people from suffering the effects of a severe crash or depression? In that context, perhaps he did the right thing? Perhaps there were no other options? Perhaps this was the speed that was needed to stabilize the free-falling economy? The suffering could have been much, much worse for millions of Americans?

But then, the idea that we put the fox back in charge of the henhouse when we had a chance to fix the problems? They were not only put back in charge but were much stronger and greedy with their newfound powers. They now had more power than ever before to feudalize our economy and to make wage slaves of us all so we can compete in the global market place.

So I am between these ideas. This is why I have not written off the President quite yet. Although I would have preferred a different strategy against the Wall Street billionaires and the big bankers, I am not totally convinced that it would not have been very painful for a lot of people. I am more patient than the average progressive, I think? I will wait and see what happens in the next election and what the President will do if he is given a new Democratic Congress and Senate, realizing that he had that to begin with, but was bogged down totally with a healthcare debate that was not handled very well, in my opinion.